POST-PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHERS OF RESEARCH BASED INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES
Open Access
- Author:
- Arnold, Toni L
- Graduate Program:
- Workforce Education and Development
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 14, 2010
- Committee Members:
- Richard Allen Walter, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Richard Allen Walter, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Judith Ann Kolb, Committee Member
Edgar Paul Yoder, Committee Member
Cynthia Pellock, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Teacher Development
Professional Development
Researchbased instructional stratigies - Abstract:
- Abstract Professional development is critical to the success of schools in this time of accountability for student achievement; but research has suggested that teachers tend to teach the way they were taught (Gardner, 1999; Jonassen, 1981). The purpose of the study was to examine the teacher’s perceptions of the implementation of research-based instructional strategies in a comprehensive career and technical high school located in Central Pennsylvania. The information is based on the perceptions and attitudes of teachers and how they implemented the instructional strategies in their classrooms in all curriculum areas. The high school provides a comprehensive academic and technical curriculum and instruction to 850 students. The geographical area served by the school consists of rural, suburban and urban communities. Survey data was collected in addition to individual interviews of teachers by the researcher and summaries of group reflection meetings of staff. The data showed that teachers will implement the research-based instructional strategies with proper professional development and time to integrate the new found strategies. Teachers and administrators must give the strategies time to be analyzed, adopted and adapted to fit each teacher, subject, and class. The data of this particular study demonstrated that the demographics of the school staff and student body, and the cross curriculum applications and implementation of the researched based instructional strategies, lent itself to test the theories of the application and implementations of the research-based instructional strategies.